Winning Champions Weekend for Irish Racing – Sport for Business

The eyes of the horse racing world were on Leopardstown and the Curragh over the weekend, and global TV coverage and global pool betting were on each of the races at the Irish Champions Weekend.

The big race of the weekend, the Royal Bahrain Jockey Club Irish Champion Stakes, was won, appropriately enough, by a horse called Economics, owned by Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, a leading member of the Royal Family of Bahrain.

The Shaikh was present to receive the trophy after arriving via helicopter across the Foxrock suburbs to enjoy the day.

Creating a memorable experience for such a key supporter is a significant win for the racecourse and for Horse Racing Ireland, which will also have been celebrating the fact that it was a great race. The Coolmore-owned dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin came second, and the Japanese-trained challenger Shin Emperor came third.

The Irish public’s attraction to flat racing is not as strong as it is for jump racing, but the two days of racing still drew an attendance of almost 19,000.

The economic value to Ireland of the flat racing and breeding industry, though, is worth far, far more, and this was another successfully delivered shop window for those around the world who still consider Ireland to be at the forefront in global terms.

The importance of that cannot be underestimated.

Kyprios was the star of the show at The Curragh on Sunday, landing his third Group one win of the year and his second Irish St Leger for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Jockey Hollie Doyle, whose father is from Clonmel, rode her first winner in Ireland on Sunday to crown a winning weekend for the sport.

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